Dominick
Cruz’s return to the Octagon is going to take longer than
anticipated.

The UFC bantamweight champion underwent a second major knee surgery
this past week, according to a Monday report from MMAJunkie.com. Cruz originally had
surgery in June after tearing his ACL while training for a bout
against fellow “Ultimate Fighter 15” coach Urijah
Faber. However, Cruz’s body rejected the cadaver’s ACL he was
given, and the ligament had to be replaced.

Estimates on the fighter’s recovery time are varied, but it is
believed that Cruz could be sidelined anywhere from six to 12
months longer than originally expected. Cruz last competed on Oct.
1, 2011, defending his 135-pound belt with a unanimous decision
over Demetrious
Johnson at UFC Live 6.

Prior to his injury, Cruz’s third meeting with Faber was expected
to take place at UFC 148. In the champion’s absence an interim
title was created, which
Renan “Barao” Pegado won by knocking off Faber in the UFC 149
headliner.

Pegado had previously expressed a desire to wait for a unification
bout with Cruz, but now an interim title defense by the Brazilian
-- potentially against Michael
McDonald -- seems much more likely.